Doug Conant, CEO of Campbell’s Soup, once said ‘to win in the marketplace, you must first win in the workplace’ and this principle is strictly adhered to by the N1 team. Their customer satisfaction record is their biggest success, and the reason their customers come first is because N1 Restaurant Suppliers put their team first. To better introduce you to the team; and in a similar vein to the ‘N1 Spotlight falls on’ series of blogs, where we highlight a valued customer; we will begin to feature specific team members in our aptly named ‘Meat & Greet’ blog – highly-valued team members who help to make N1 the leading wholesale meat supplier in the Western Cape and Johannesburg areas.
To kick off our new series of ‘Meat & Greet’, we introduce 13 year N1 veteran, C.G. Marais – N1 Production Manager. With several diplomas from various management courses in the meat trade, he has helped grow the business, taking it from strength to strength. He kindly took some time out from his busy day to answer a few questions:
You’ve been with N1 for a long time – how does it feel to be part of its growth and success?
We were all very young when N1 started, and so as the business grew, so did we.
How would you describe a typical day as Production Manager?
There are a lot of daily challenges. I make sure that we finish our day’s production every day, no matter what. This ensures that we can deliver the best service and product on a daily basis.
What are the most enjoyable and least enjoyable aspects of your role?
It is always nice to be complimented on a product or on a job well done. We set ourselves goals and it’s not always easy to achieve them but that is what makes our team special, we stand together and set bigger goals. The least enjoyable is travelling to work on the cold early winter mornings.
What is your most important goal as part of the highly-valued N1 team?
To help to grow our business to be bigger and stronger, so that we can deliver better products and service to our valued customers.
What do you feel sets N1 apart from others in the industry?
We strive to give the best service to our customers.
Do you have a particular role model or mentor, someone who inspires you beyond the norm?
At N1, we inspire each other. We mentor each other and together as a team, we will achive our goals.
In closing, thank you for your time C.G. and to finish on a quirkier note – this is ‘Meat & Greet’ after all – If you were on a desert island and could only bring three things, what would you bring and why?
I will take a cow and a bull and food for them. If they have calves, I can slaughter them and start an N1 Restuarant Suppliers. I am sure when the news gets out, the island will be flooded with people!
To chat to C.G. or to any of the N1 team, simply call or email now.